Acts 1:1-3

 Infallible proofs

Acts 1:1 The former treatise have I made, O Theophilus, of all that Jesus began both to do and teach,

The former account is the Gospel of Luke. At one time the gospel of Luke and the book of Acts were joined together as one book with two "volumes."

The name Theophilus means "Lover of God", we are not sure who he was, but the title "most excellent" (Luke 1:3) is used for one of high offices.

Acts 1:2 Until the day in which he was taken up, after that he through the Holy Ghost had given commandments unto the apostles whom he had chosen:
Acts 1:3 To whom also he showed himself alive after his passion by many infallible proofs, being seen of them forty days, and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God:

Speaking of the things of the kingdom of God. He was giving them a vision of the future hope. Not much is recorded of his words at this time. He was concerned with them, because of their unbelief. They were cowering, being upset by the events of their time, Their leader had been crucified and they didn't remember that Jesus had said to them that he would die and be raised on the third day.. They were lacking in faith.

We can identify with their sorrows in a small way as we witness our country being terrorized on Sept 11, (This study was first shared in 2002.) Some people have withdrawn, some are depressed, some even had their hearts fail them. Do not remove your eyes from the hope that is in Jesus. He has risen. We shall be with him in the Kingdom.

Infallible proofs of his resurrection:

1 Cor 15:3 For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures;
1 Cor 15:4 And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:
1 Cor 15:5 And that he was seen of Cephas, then of the twelve:
1 Cor 15:6 After that, he was seen of above five hundred brethren at once; of whom the greater part remain unto this present, but some are fallen asleep.
1 Cor 15:7 After that, he was seen of James; then of all the apostles.
1 Cor 15:8 And last of all he was seen of me (Paul) also, as of one born out of due time.

Doubting Thomas believes.

John 20:26  And after eight days again his disciples were within, and Thomas with them: then came Jesus, the doors being shut, and stood in the midst, and said, Peace be unto you. 

John 20:27  Then saith he to Thomas, Reach hither thy finger, and behold my hands; and reach hither thy hand, and thrust it into my side: and be not faithless, but believing. 

John 20:28  And Thomas answered and said unto him, My Lord and my God. 

John 20:29  Jesus saith unto him, Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed. 

Holly reminders

We have a large holly bush in the front yard and the birds planted another large plant in the back yard. Holly bushes are everywhere on our property from the red berries the birds scatter. Looking at the holly we can be reminded of Biblical things.There are stories and legends about the Holly. It has shiny green leaves even in the winter. The green leaves point to everlasting life in Christ Jesus.

John 3:16  For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. 

 The thorns on the leaves point to the crown of thorns that Jesus wore.

Mar 15:16  And the soldiers led him away into the hall, called Praetorium; and they call together the whole band. 
Mark 15:17  And they clothed him with purple, and platted a crown of thorns, and put it about his head, 
Mark 15:18  And began to salute him, Hail, King of the Jews! 
Mark 15:19  And they smote him on the head with a reed, and did spit upon him, and bowing their knees worshipped him. 
Mark 15:20  And when they had mocked him, they took off the purple from him, and put his own clothes on him, and led him out to crucify him. 

 The red berries represent the blood of Jesus shed for our sins.

Mar 14:23  And he took the cup, and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them: and they all drank of it. 
Mar 14:24  And he said unto them, This is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many. 
Mar 14:25  Verily I say unto you, I will drink no more of the fruit of the vine, until that day that I drink it new in the kingdom of God. 

Another Christmas legend is from the Christmas tree. Christmas trees came from pagan practices, but our use of a tree has loftier meanings. A tradition says that  Martin Luther observed stars while looking through an evergreen tree, thus the lights on the modern Christmas tree to represent the stars or the heavens. The evergreen fir represents eternal life. Gifts of fruit used to be hung on the tree, being replaced with glass ornaments. The ornaments sometimes are used as reminders of events in the past, such as a child's birthday. We are celebrating the birthday of Jesus, whenever that may have been. He is the tree of life, the life giver. As the wise men brought him gifts, the custom is to exchange gifts at this time of celebration. On top of the tree is a star to represent the star that guided the wise men to the house where Jesus was an infant. Sometimes an angel is placed on the top of the tree to represent the angel that came to Mary and the angels that announced the birth of Jesus to the shepherds. These are legends, but it is okay to use them as reminders of Biblical truths. A symbol is to represent a reality. It is best to think of these representing good things and not to look for evil. No evil is meant when we gather at Christmas time with a holly wreath on the door and a tree in our homes. Merry Christmas friends and keep the joy of his coming in your heart. It is the season to remember Jesus, family and friends and to be thankful for his everlasting gift of life.

Luk 2:8  And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.
Luk 2:9  And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid.
Luk 2:10  And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.
Luk 2:11  For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.
Luke 2:12  And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.
Luke 2:13  And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying,
Luke  2:14  Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.
Luk 2:15  And it came to pass, as the angels were gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another, Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us. 

Salvation

I thank God for these particular scriptures. They are his promises and show us the steps to salvation from our sins. These scriptures are referred to often in leading many to Christ and a new life in His Spirit.

Rom 10:8 But what saith it? The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach;

Preaching the word of faith

Rom 10:17 So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.

Rom 1:16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.
Rom 1:17 For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith.

What is the way?

Rom 10:9 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.

Confess with your mouth, or write it on the screen, that Jesus has risen from the grave. He is the only one who said he was of God who has risen from the grave, proving that he is of God. He is God the Son as this other powerful witnessing verse says:

John 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

Confession of Jesus, believing and trusting in him with all your heart, will save you from your sins.

Rom 10:10 For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.

It is God who chooses you and then we respond with confession of faith and with  believing in our hearts that he has risen from the grave. Confess their sins to God, he knows them, and to give all to him. For Jesus has died for all your sins.

Psa 32:5 I acknowledged my sin unto thee, and mine iniquity have I not hid. I said, I will confess my transgressions unto the LORD; and thou forgavest the iniquity of my sin. Selah.

After this ask for the Holy Spirit to come in you and teach you all truth. By the spirit comes power to repent, to turn from the old ways, and to seek Gods direction and will. Finally we make Jesus Lord and master of our life.

1 Pet 1:23 Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever.

Behold all things have become new, I am a child of God. I have everlasting life with Jesus and he holds me in his hand . I am an adopted child of the king, forever. If you think Jesus cannot forgive you, you are mistaken. No one is beyond the cleansing blood of Jesus, as long as they are able to respond to his love. After death it is too late.Yes, he loves you, now is the time of salvation. Come to Jesus.

Refusing the truth

Luke 22:66  And as soon as it was day, the elders of the people and the chief priests and the scribes came together, and led him into their council, saying,
Luke 22:67  Art thou the Christ? tell us. And he said unto them, If I tell you, ye will not believe:
Luke 22:68  And if I also ask you, ye will not answer me, nor let me go.
Luke 22:69  Hereafter shall the Son of man sit on the right hand of the power of God.
Luke 22:70  Then said they all, Art thou then the Son of God? And he said unto them, Ye say that I am.
Luke 22:71  And they said, What need we any further witness? for we ourselves have heard of his own mouth.

These religious leaders should have known who Jesus was, but they did not believe in him. You cannot talk to unbelief. Jesus often spoke in parables because of peoples unbelief. Those who could hear could understand them, but those of unbelief had no understanding.

Mat 13:9  Who hath ears to hear, let him hear.
Mat 13:10  And the disciples came, and said unto him, Why speakest thou unto them in parables?
Mat 13:11  He answered and said unto them, Because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given.
Mat 13:12  For whosoever hath, to him shall be given, and he shall have more abundance: but whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken away even that he hath.
Mat 13:13  Therefore speak I to them in parables: because they seeing see not; and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand.
Mat 13:14  And in them is fulfilled the prophecy of Esaias, which saith, By hearing ye shall hear, and shall not understand; and seeing ye shall see, and shall not perceive:
Mat 13:15  For this people's heart is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have closed; lest at any time they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears, and should understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them.
Mat 13:16  But blessed are your eyes, for they see: and your ears, for they hear.

A parable was a story illustrating a spiritual truth. Those who do not believe only hear a story, but those with spiritual ears to hear God's message, they hear his truth. Faith opens up our spiritual seeing and hearing. Unbelief cannot see and because of chosen unbelief they will not inherit eternal life. The spiritual leaders would not believe when given the plain truth. We are to hear and believe the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God. Some have purposefully chosen to not believe.  Do not waste too much time arguing with them.

Secret things

Deu 29:29 The secret things belong unto the LORD our God: but those things which are revealed belong unto us and to our children for ever, that we may do all the words of this law.

Hold onto the things that God has revealed to you and trust him for what you do not know. We do have the responsibility to learn what he has told us and to obey him.

Job 38:3 Gird up now thy loins like a man; for I will demand of thee, and answer thou me.
Job 38:4 Where wast thou when I laid the foundations of the earth? declare, if thou hast understanding.
Job 38:5 Who hath laid the measures thereof, if thou knowest? or who hath stretched the line upon it?
Job 38:6 Whereupon are the foundations thereof fastened? or who laid the corner stone thereof;
Job 38:7 When the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy?
Job 38:8 Or who shut up the sea with doors, when it brake forth, as if it had issued out of the womb?

There is so much we are told and yet so much is a mystery. One mystery revealed to us is the church. We are the body of believers, the body of Christ and he is the head.

1Co 3:9 For we are labourers together with God: ye are God's husbandry, ye are God's building.
1Co 3:10 According to the grace of God which is given unto me, as a wise masterbuilder, I have laid the foundation, and another buildeth thereon. But let every man take heed how he buildeth thereupon.
1Co 3:11 For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ.

Jesus paid the price for our sins with his blood and we became joint heirs with Christ, the children of God. He died on the cross in my place and has been raised from the tomb to give us eternal life. We have access to the mind of God our father, through the Holy Spirit who is our comforter.

1Co 2:12 Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God.
1Co 2:13 Which things also we speak, not in the words which man's wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual.
1Co 2:14 But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.
1Co 2:15 But he that is spiritual judgeth all things, yet he himself is judged of no man.
1Co 2:16 For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ.

Jesus told us to ask of him and we will receive.

Jer 33:3 Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and shew thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not.

Many are going through afflictions. God knows and he is there for you.

Psa 91:14 Because he hath set his love upon me, therefore will I deliver him: I will set him on high, because he hath known my name.
Psa 91:15 He shall call upon me, and I will answer him: I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him, and honour him.
Psa 91:16 With long life will I satisfy him, and shew him my salvation.

We are destined to eternal life with God. Jesus is our Lord and King.

John 14:1 Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me.
John 14:2 In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.
John 14:3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.
John 14:4 And whither I go ye know, and the way ye know

Jesus is the way to God; hear him and believe him. We are not to make mysteries out of what is revealed. Everything important to us he reveals to us. Believe in him always and take time to see and understand what he has shown to us.

The Simple Gospel of Salvation

1Co 15:1 Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand;
1Co 15:2 By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain.
1Co 15:3 For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures;
1Co 15:4 And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:

In a nutshell salvation is by faith in Jesus Christ, who paid for our sins through his death and who has been raised from the dead to prove that in him is power over death and eternal life.

He died for us according to scriptures, but the scriptures were usually ignored or misinterpreted by the traditions of men.

Read Isaiah 53 and it describes how he was rejected by his own people.

Isa 53:5 But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.

Read the 22nd Psalm of David and it tells of Jesus on the cross.

Psa 22:18 They part my garments among them, and cast lots upon my vesture.

This prophecy was fulfilled

Mat 27:35 And they crucified him, and parted his garments, casting lots: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, They parted my garments among them, and upon my vesture did they cast lots.

Jesus gave us the salvation verse, early in his ministry.

Joh 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

Believe in Jesus, he has done it all, only believe.

Rom 10:9 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.
Rom 10:10 For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.
Rom 10:11 For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed.

Listen to me now, we do not go to those who do not believe to find the way to eternal life, we go to people who believe the gospel truth. The Bible is the proof, it is the true word of God seen by many witnesses. Come to Jesus believing that he is the savior, the only begotten son of God who forgives your sins. He paid for your sins with his life on the cross. I believe that you are my savior Jesus. Forgive me of all my sins. I want to follow you and to be a child of God, seeking to do your will. Help me Lord and fill me with your Spirit of truth. Amen

Salvation

I thank God for these particular scriptures. They are his promises and show us the steps to salvation from our sins. These scriptures are referred to often in leading many to Christ and a new life in His Spirit.

Rom 10:8 But what saith it? The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach;

Preaching the word of faith

Rom 10:17 So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.

Rom 1:16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.
Rom 1:17 For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith.

What is the way?

Rom 10:9 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.

Confess with your mouth, or write it on the screen, that Jesus has risen from the grave. He is the only one who said he was of God who has risen from the grave, proving that he is of God. He is God the Son as this other powerful witnessing verse says:

John 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

Confession of Jesus is believing and trusting in him with all your heart; this will save you from your sins.

Rom 10:10 For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.

It is God who chooses you and then we respond with confession of faith and with believing in our hearts that he has risen from the grave. Confess your sins to God, he knows them, and give all to him. For Jesus has died for all your sins.

Psa 32:5 I acknowledged my sin unto thee, and mine iniquity have I not hid. I said, I will confess my transgressions unto the LORD; and thou forgavest the iniquity of my sin. Selah.

We acknowledge that Jesus is Lord and master of our life. After this, ask for the Holy Spirit. He will teach you all truth. By the spirit comes power to repent, to turn from the old ways, and to seek Gods direction and will. He will be the power to share the faith with others You will be born again of the Spirit of God.

John 3:3 Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.

1 Pet 1:23 Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever.

Behold all things have become new, I am a child of God. I have everlasting life with Jesus and he holds me in his hand . I am an adopted child of the king, forever.

If you think Jesus cannot forgive you, you are mistaken. No one is beyond the cleansing blood of Jesus if you are able to respond to his love. After death it is too late.Yes, he loves you, now is the time of salvation. Come to Jesus.